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Old 9th July 2013, 02:33 PM
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Default 5x4 enlargers

I am toying with the idea of getting a 5x4 enlarger. I have a 5x4 camera which is not getting much use. I have an LPL 7700 for my other work.

What are the preferred options? I have no experience of enlarging this type of negative - I usually scan the negatives at this size. I am also concerned about the height as my darkroom ceiling is not that high either. Some of these beasts seem huge.

I am only intererested in monochrome. There is a devere going near me but it does not have the necessary holders for 5x4 or the right lenses, so considerations of how easy it is to get hold of accessories seems to be quite important. There seem to be a lot of bargains around, but these also could be false economy.

Any advice appreciated.
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Old 9th July 2013, 03:20 PM
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Martin Aislabie Martin Aislabie is offline
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5x4 DeVere Neg Holders and 135/150mm lenses are easily obtained either on flee-bay or Secondhand Darkrooms.

New DeVere bits are available too from Odyssey - http://www.odyssey-sales.co.uk/

I'm not familiar withe the B&W version - but when looking at older colour units watch out for dodgy power transformers - they can be expensive to replace.

The top of my column is about 50 inches above the work surface.

Hope this helps

Martin
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Old 9th July 2013, 03:29 PM
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Thanks. That's all useful!
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Old 9th July 2013, 05:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lithprinter View Post
I am toying with the idea of getting a 5x4 enlarger. I have a 5x4 camera which is not getting much use. I have an LPL 7700 for my other work.

What are the preferred options? I have no experience of enlarging this type of negative - I usually scan the negatives at this size. I am also concerned about the height as my darkroom ceiling is not that high either. Some of these beasts seem huge.

I am only intererested in monochrome. There is a devere going near me but it does not have the necessary holders for 5x4 or the right lenses, so considerations of how easy it is to get hold of accessories seems to be quite important. There seem to be a lot of bargains around, but these also could be false economy.

Any advice appreciated.
These are some dimensions of a Durst L1200 give or take a few cms. perhaps depending on the head type.
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Old 9th July 2013, 06:04 PM
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50" I can get away with for column height if I get a slightly lower bench, but does the head usually protrude above the column for say a 16x12 print? I don't usually print bigger than that (occasionally16x20).
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Old 9th July 2013, 10:47 PM
paulc paulc is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MartyNL View Post
These are some dimensions of a Durst L1200 give or take a few cms. perhaps depending on the head type.
You can also find a short column (1235mm) from time to time - I have both in my darkroom. From a 5x4 neg and a 150mm lens, the largest print size is given as 24"x30" in the manual, but with a usable baseboard area of 22"x25", it doesn't quite fit.
Even the short column, a 16"x12" print is readily achievable, and should you want to go bigger, wall or floor projection is always an option.
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Old 10th July 2013, 03:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paulc View Post
You can also find a short column (1235mm) from time to time - I have both in my darkroom. From a 5x4 neg and a 150mm lens, the largest print size is given as 24"x30" in the manual, but with a usable baseboard area of 22"x25", it doesn't quite fit.
Even the short column, a 16"x12" print is readily achievable, and should you want to go bigger, wall or floor projection is always an option.
My question is slightly different. Say that for arguments sake say the column just fits under my ceiling, then does the head protrude above the column to get a 16x12?

For example my LPL7700 column just fits under my darkroom ceiling, but I cannot raise the head to the top of the column because it would hit the ceiling before it got there. Thus there is a limit to how much enlargement I can get out of it. The Durst column is quite high as it is, but in the diagram above the head goes a lot higher, but it probably doesn't have to for my purposes. Hope this makes sense
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Old 10th July 2013, 04:08 PM
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you could get a low bench which allows you to use the full height of the coloumn plus head. This would be for the large size prints and you would have to crawl on the floor for printing but that is possible
Then for smaller size prints (8x10, 9x12) build a desktop insert that brings you up to normal height - where you probably will work most of the time.
Peter
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Old 10th July 2013, 08:24 PM
Tony Marlow Tony Marlow is offline
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I solved my headroom problem with 6x7 enlarger with a wide angle lens. I don't know if there is a wide angle lens suitable for 5x4, does one exist?

Tony
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Old 10th July 2013, 09:00 PM
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A 135mm will give you a bit of extra headroom and I think they tend to be a little cheaper than a 150mm.


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